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Unification of the Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms • In 829 Egbert, King of Wessex, was acknowledged by Kent, Mercia and Northumbria. This was the beginning of the united kingdom of England and King Egbert became the first king of England. Under his rule all the small Anglo-Saxon kingdoms were united to form one kingdom which was called England from that time on.
From the end of the 8th century and during the 9th and the 10th centuries Western Europe was troubled by a new wave of barbarian attacks. These barbarians came from the North, from Norway, Sweden and Denmark
In different countries they were known by different names, as the Northmen, the Vikings, the Normans, the Danes.
The Danes were of the same Germanic race as the Anglo-Saxons but unlike the Anglo-Saxons whose way of life had changed greatly ever since they came to Britain, the Danes still lived in tribes and they were stillpagans.
In 793 the Danes carried out their first raids on Britain. Their earliest raids were for plunder only. The raiders came in ships, and they sailed along the coasts of the country and up the rivers thus plundering not only the coasts but the midlands as well. They came in spring and summer, and returned home for the winter.
The Danes were well armed — with swords, spears, daggers, battle-axes and bows. A Viking sword handle of the 9th century
The Danes were bold and skilful seamen. On their long, narrow, shallow ships they could sail or row far up a river into the heart of the country in search of plunder.
Gradually the length of time the Vikings remained in England each year increased and in 851 they stayed over the winter for the first time. Thus began the fourth conquest(?) of Britain.
After subduing East Anglia in 865, the Vikings marched north and installed a king at York, and then returned to East Anglia where in 869 they killed King Edmund of East Anglia. With the whole of the North of England, the Midlands and East Anglia under Viking control, and Mercia subdued, the Vikings prepared to strike Wessex]
Here is what a chronicler wrote about the conquest of Northumbria: "The army raided here and there and filled every place with bloodshed and sorrow. Far and wide it destroyed the churches and monasteries with the fire and sword. When it departed from a place, it left nothing standing but roofless walls. So great was the destruction that at the present day one can hardly see anything left of those places, nor any sign of their former greatness."
Only Wessex was left to face the enemy. Before the Danes conquered the North, they had made an attack on Wessex, but in 835King Egbert defeated them. In the reign of Egbert's son in 871 the Danes invaded Wessex again and sailed up the Thames and captured London. Thus the Danes came into conflict with the strongest of all the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, Wessex
Wessex had united the small Anglo-Saxon kingdoms and under the reign of Egbert's grandson, King Alfred (871-801) who became one of the greatest English kings, known in English history as Alfred the Great, Wessex became the centre of resistance against the invaders.
King Alfred the Great 871-899
A statue of Alfred the Great that was put up in Winchester, Alfred’s capital, in1901
Nine battles are recorded in 871 between Alfred and the Viking host but by the end of the year an unstable peace was made. Apart from the occasional raids Wessex remained untouched until 878. Instead the Vikings turned their attentions once again to Mercia and Northumbria
The Viking army divided and one portion settled in Yorkshire; the Anglo-Saxon Chroniclerecords that they were 'ploughing and providing for themselves'. Gradually the invaders became integrated with the local population. The other main section of the Viking army was still avid for war and in a lightning raid almost destroyed Alfred in 878 (at Chippenham in midwinter after the 12th Night- a traditional time of feasting and peace)
After Easter an army was raised which defeated the Vikings. After a fourteen-day siege their leader Guthrum surrendered; he was obliged to accept Christianity, with Alfred acting as his godfather at the baptism. A further Viking raid in 885 failed, and in 886 Alfred took London by storm.
Alfred's victories led to a formal treaty between Alfred and Guthrum by which England was divided into two parts. The fixed border between the Anglo-Saxon and Danish areas ran diagonally across the country from the mouth of the Thames to Staffordshire, giving Alfred the south and west and the Vikings the north and east, called the Danelaw
King Alfred’s contribution: • He instigated defended fortified towns, or 'burhs'. • He created the regular army and the first English Navy • He produced a new set of law codes based on those which had gone before • He promoted literacy
People who were accused of crimes had to appear in front of the village moot. If they did not appear for their trial, they were declared outlaws and could be killed by anyone. Those who admitted their crime had to pay a fine to anyone they had harmed (wergild in case of murder). The size of this fine depended on the importance of the person injured.
Trial by ordeal If accused people couldn’t find Enough oath-helpers (people who could swear they are innocent), they were tried by “ordeal”. The Anglo-Saxons believed that God would judge whether the person was guilty or not. The accused person either picked a stone out of boiling water or carried a bar of red-hot iron for several paces. If the burned hand had begun to heal after three days, the person was considered to be innocent. If not, he or she was guilty.
Alfred wanted to educate his people. He invited teachers to come from Europe and ordered monks to write books in Anglo-Saxon. Monks also translated the Bible into Anglo-Saxon. The sons of nobles and boys who were to become priests were taught to read and write. They also learned geography, Latin and history. A school was started in the palace for the sons of nobles and Alfred himself sometimes taught there.
By Alfred’s order a history of Britain called The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle was started which was continued for 250 years after his death. This is the entry in the Chronicle for the year 900. Alfred died in 899 according to the modern calendar (not in use at that time)
England after Alfred • Within 30 years of Alfred’s death England had become a united country. Alfred’s son, Edward, and grandson, Athelstan, conquered the Danelaw. • A few years later Vikings raids from Ireland and Norway were defeated and Athelstan made peace with the Welsh and Northumbrians. • King Edgar encouraged the building of many new monasteries and at the end of his reign in 975 most of England was peaceful and prosperous.
The Heirs of Alfred • Alfred's descendants continued to rule Wessex or England until 1016, more than a century after his death. Many were glorious and able rulers who stood supreme in their own day, but none - with the exception of Athelstan - matched the vision and breadth of interest that Alfred achieved. In the tenth century three great kings ruled Wessex: Edward, Athelstan and Edgar.
Archbishop Dunstan St. Dunstan, Archbishop of Canterbury, kneels in adoration before Christ Dunstan was the prime mover in the cultural revival of the tenth century known as ‘The X century Reformation’. He introduced anointing the king with holy oil at the ceremony of coronation. Thus the king became God’s chosen representative on earth
The Reformation included a revival in education and art. An example of beautifully illuminated manuscripts which were produced at that time: King Edgar offering his charter to the New Minster at Winchester. Dated 966 this is the earliest manuscript in the style associated with the monastic community at Winchester. The text is in gold onpurple vellum.
Ethelread the Unread and Danegeld • At the end of the X c. Danish raids on England began again. • Ethelread was unable to defeat the invaders, so he agreed to pay them money to keep peace. This became known as the Danegeld • The Danes wanted more and more money and in about 1013 they conquered the Anglo-Saxons. The first Danish king Sweyn came to power in England
The Danish kings of England • King Sweyn • Sweyn’s son, king Cnut (Canute) • His two sons followed him • After the death of the second son Ethelread’s son, Edward, returned from France to become King of England
Between1976 and 1981 archeologists from the York Archeological Trust excavated a part of this lost city. The dig took place in Coppergate, one of the main Viking streets Jorvik, lost Viking Age capital
Reconstruction of Life in Viking York Making cloth by weaving wool and flax
The Port of Jorvik Jorvik was a busy international port.
